Elephants are known to have a hulking size and long trunks. These gentle giants tower over the grassland as the largest land mammal on Earth. However, there is more to know about these creatures other than their unique appearance and large sizes. Being one of the most delicate and sensitive animals, numerous researches have suggested that elephants possess empathy and high intelligence.
This makes it worse, knowing that their numbers are greatly decreasing because of poaching, and they are hunted for their tusks. So, let us take a closer look at the world’s largest animals with our elephant facts.
Full Size
It isn’t until the elephants reach their mid-years that they will fully reach their full size. At the age of 25 to 40, male elephants will reach their full size and reach weights of up to 12,000 pounds. On the other hand, their female counterparts would only reach an average of 8,000 pounds from age 15 to 30. A female elephant has an average life span of 50 to 60 years, while the male can live up to 60 to 70 years. So, what do you think of one of our elephant facts?
Elephant Snorkeling
Even though humans can snorkel, elephants are the only ones who can snorkel without any support from equipment or any aid from any animals. They can cross the river submerged just by keeping their trunks above the water levels. Speaking of their trunks, it contains more than 40,000 muscles and 150,000 various parts in contrast to the human body’s 639 muscles.
Elephant Poaching
Around a hundred elephants perish each day because of all the poaching and illegal hunting. Each day, these illegal hunters kill these gentle giants because of their body parts, such as the meat and their ivories. If this illegal practice carries on, elephants would soon go extinct.
These poachers hunt the elephant’s ivory that can be used to make billiard balls, organ keys, jewelry, electrical equipment for radar and airplanes, decoration, and piano keys. Talk about brutal and savage, right?
Elephant’s Sense of Smell
Since they have a huge nose, they also have a strong sense of smell. Their trunks are four times stronger compared to a bloodhound’s scent. According to some studies, elephants can smell water from a very long distance. The millions of receptor cells located in its upper nasal cavity have a very intense sense of smell.
Elephant’s Tusks
In case you’re wondering whether elephants have teeth, technically, yes, they do have teeth. But not the regular teeth that you know. Though their tusks may look like actual horns, they are their teeth. These tusks are surprisingly large incisors, just like a human’s canine teeth.
These tusks normally appear when an elephant reaches the age of two years and would continue to grow throughout their life. These tusks can be used for collecting food, digging, lifting, or prying bark from trees. They can also function as a way to defend themselves.
Wrinkles and Folds
Since elephants live in hot and dry places, their wrinkles and folds help them cool down. These folds and wrinkles can hold moisture ten times than a human body can. They also roll in mud and regularly take dust baths to protect themselves from the heat of the sun.
Sociable Animals
Even though elephants are huge and might even look scary, they are social animals. They would spend most of the time just communicating with other elephants. Since they are very intelligent animals, they can form a social structure of 8-100 other elephants.
Takeaway
The next time you see an elephant, don’t be afraid, but also be cautious. Even though they are sociable animals, they might see you as a threat. We must always do our part to protect these majestic giants by boycotting the illegal selling of their ivory tusks.
